The Liverpool Echo told their readers earlier today Celtic would not be considered if they are to send Harry Wilson out on-loan this season.
The reasoning behind this decision is the Echo pointing to Celtic’s Charly Musonda deal, where the player cut his loan short because he failed to breakthrough to the first team straight away.
It’s highly unlikely that Liverpool is that in tune with what’s going on over at Celtic that Charly Musonda’s name would have even come up when considering the pros and cons of sending the 21-year-old to Celtic.
The Echo did say Liverpool are keen to get a guarantee the player will play a significant first team role from whatever club does land the Welshman.
If correct, this is where the deal would fall apart for BOTH parties.
While some clubs and managers would be happy to take that directive in order to land a talented player, it’s not the way Celtic and most importantly Brendan Rodgers do business.
We can cite the Charly Musonda deal as proof of this, if the manager doesn’t think you’re ready for his first team then he won’t give you the time of day.
Be patient, work your arse off and maybe, just maybe you would get a chance to shine.
Musonda seemed disillusioned and perplexed by his first team exclusion, thinking a player coming from Chelsea would instantly command a spot in an already succesful team.
That’s all down to attitude.
Case and point – Odsonne Edouard rarely played his first four months at the club and even when he did play and managed a hat trick on one outing, it was back to the bench for the striker. The Frenchman showed graft and determination to succeed at the club and ultimately made his mark in the dying embers of last season.
Having shown what he could do, Celtic and Brendan Rodgers broke the bank to bring the bhoy in on a permanent basis. There was no demand from PSG to play the player last season and Rodgers put him in the side when he felt the big man was most needed.
We cannot allow ourselves to be dictated to by other clubs at the risk of burying our own talent.
Harry Wilson is a player who could make the grade at Celtic but the compulsion to play him over a Sinclair, Forrest, Christie, Morgan or even Mikey Johnston just doesn’t sit well with me.
If Liverpool don’t believe Harry is good enough to organically break through into the Celtic team or any side for that matter, what does that say about the confidence they have in their player.
Celtic have sent out many players on-loan hoping they will see action but never demanding. Kundai Benyu got sent to Oldham during the second half of last season only to make less than a handful of appearances – it happens.
If the Liverpool directive is true then it does make Celtic’s decision to walk away without a deal much easier.
This is Brendan Rodgers third pre-season at Celtic and he will know the score when it comes to getting players in the door. Some deals just can’t be done and the Irishman is pragmatic enough to accept that it’s not always going to be possible to get all the player’s on his wishlist.
